The Invisible Street View Car
Wednesday, 11th June 2008 by James Turnbull
Prior to the recent Street View update you could pan down on the street view images to see the car which carried the 360° cameras around the cities.
However, the most recent update somehow manages to make the car disappear, so that you can see the road below.
We presumed this was a simple processing effect that blends the images from either end of the car, but it is in fact wearing an invisible cloak.
The give-away was in the invisible car's shadow, where you'll notice the ruffles of the cloak skimming the ground. Are Google licensing technology from Harry Potter now?
Thanks: Zoe Lozada
Looks like you can find more “invisibility artifacts” that are even more strange out in the California desert
View Placemark,,0,75.24495272808392&t=h&ll=34.0299,-115.229759&spn=0.084789,0.155869&z=13
Andy – why on earth would you me looking at that one particular dot of the world out in the California desert?
Near-death experience: View Placemark,,0,14.486143745075179&t=h&ll=45.805679,-123.96668&spn=0.019475,0.037594&z=15
Looks like the Google car operators have seen the light!
Looks like a few bugs need to be worked out still:
View Placemark,,0,41.79253601656677
And to dr. R., that would only be a near-death experience in Hartford, CT.
my god…I had no idea they were sending those cars way out into the desert in Nevada. That is amazing. I wonder how much they pay those streetview drivers?
If you look at the image here, you might ask yourself who is driving?
This isn’t a sight ;]
Isn’t the lack of a sight… a sight?
Still, the link I inserted was of a sight… the survey car’s shadow is a sight that can be seen, no? 🙂
In fact, shadows are very popular here! 🙂
Thanks to some chaps at Urbanplanet.org I have these to share….. View Placemark,,0,15.418006430868173&ll=35.180613,-80.798349&spn=0.008313,0.018797&z=16 Here in Charlotte the Streetview car detours through a chic-fila parking lot. It is very very crowded, the cows must be really getting to these people.
And at these two places you can see the streetview car magically appear for one frame then disappear. View Placemark,,0,41.763289529594346&ll=35.301449,-80.683229&spn=0.008301,0.018797&z=16 Check out the cyclist, no wonder he looks confused he just witnessed a car un-cloke. View Placemark,,0,30.32154340836015&ll=35.295355,-80.703378&spn=0.008301,0.018797&z=16
I forgot to mention, travel NW on Randolph Rd to follow the Chic-fila detour.
This car didn’t have it’s “cloak” on!
View Placemark,,0,53.764550394124036&t=k&ll=41.900105,-87.623692&spn=0.031878,0.074759&z=14
Relish – that car also does a 360 spin while traveling north on lasalle street! (navigate north three frames to follow the action) View Placemark,,0,33.677805863528334&t=k&ll=41.89525,-87.630129&spn=0.030284,0.075188&z=14